Why a trip to Africa is something this local doctor and his daughter will never forget
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IDAHO FALLS — A group of physicians from Idaho Falls is making a difference in the lives of people around the world.
Dr. Joseph Anderson and other medical professionals recently returned from a two-week visit to Zimbabwe, where they treated and cared for people in remote areas of the southwestern African country.
“These are areas where people still live in tribal communes with mud huts and thatched roofs. No electricity,” Anderson tells EastIdahoNews.com. “These communities have what’s called a boar hole – a hand-pumped well. Many of these people walk five kilometers or more every day with a five gallon bucket of water on their head.”
Living conditions in the country create a lot of musculoskeletal issues, Anderson says, which includes ankle, foot and lower back pain.
“Some tribes have a lot of congenital problems with feet and hands causing major deformities,” Anderson says. “We can give them Ibuprofen or Acetaminaphen to relieve some of their discomfort, but it’s pretty difficult to do anything else.”
Other issues Anderson saw were hypertension and high blood pressure.
“They don’t have much in the way of food. Their main sustenance is ground corn meal that they eat a couple times a day. They (put too much salt) on their food,” says Anderson.
Anderson’s daughter, Madison, is a student at Hillcrest High School. She accompanied her father on the trip as part of a senior project. She helped raise money and awareness of the trip and collected food and other humanitarian items to help those in need.
“Madison bought about 80 pairs of flip-flops to hand out to people (in Zimbabwe). They loved them. These items were bought at the dollar store, but to them (it meant) the world,” says Anderson.
Madison also assisted her dad in providing basic medical care during the trip.
The Zimbabwean people were humble and gracious, Anderson says. He became emotional when recalling an experience with an older lady who lived in a large dump in the city of Harare.
“We loaded a truck full of shoes, boots, food, clothing and anything else we had to offer. We pulled in there and 50-100 families started to (gather),” Anderson explains. “One of the first people to see us was a lady who looked like she was in her seventies. With tears in her eyes, she dropped to her knees, looked up to Heaven and said ‘Thank you, Lord. We have not been forgotten.’ Pretty humbling.”
Amai Auxilia Mnangagwa, the country’s first lady, and her entourage accompanied Anderson’s group during the first four days of their trip. Anderson says working alongside them as they traveled from tribe to tribe was a rewarding experience. Later, the group met with the president during a formal statehouse dinner in the country’s capitol.
“They thanked us for the work we did. The president called out by name the ministers of health and education charging them to go back to the doma tribe and build footbridges so the kids could go to school,” says Anderson.
Anderson feels he and his group were able to treat those who most needed help, but says there is so much more the government can do. After returning home, Anderson says the President of Zimbabwe sent an email committing $4 million in resources to help the people of Zimbabwe.
“We do good work. We treat what we can and alleviate their discomfort, but ultimately (the most important) thing we do is look these people in the eye, and validate their humanity. They are appreciative of the things we do and it makes us more appreciative of the world, as a whole.”
Madison tells EastIdahoNews.com it was an eye-opening experience seeing people with a different lifestyle.
“These people have nothing, but they’re the happiest people I’ve seen in my entire life,” Madison says. “It was the greatest experience to go and benefit from their happiness.”
Madison says the experience allowed her to see firsthand how kindness, love and compassion is a universal language that transcends language barriers and everything else in life.
This was Anderson’s second trip to Zimbabwe. He says another trip is being planned for September 2019.
The trip was coordinated by a nonprofit called ZimbabWeCare. If you’d like to learn more or make a donation, visit their website.
